Honors College

Gloria C. Cox, Dean

Susan B. Eve, Associate Dean

Introduction

The Honors College is dedicated to enriching the undergraduate academic experience for talented, motivated and well-prepared students. Honors membership is open to all qualified students, whatever their major. Upon joining the Honors College, students find that they are part of an exciting community of talented scholars pursuing academic and intellectual growth. The goal of the Honors College is to help these students build an excellent foundation that prepares them for studying at the graduate level, establishing a career, and meeting the demands of responsible citizenship.

The Benefits of Honors College Membership

Honors Classes

Honors faculty and staff work to design, implement and support learning opportunities for students, both in and beyond the classroom. The primary benefit of honors membership is the right to enroll in honors classes, which are taught by faculty members with a strong commitment to undergraduate education. Honors classes offer a supportive environment in which students are encouraged to grow intellectually. The small enrollment of honors classes opens up opportunities for active participation in learning, including projects, presentations and class discussions. In addition, most honors classes can be substituted for non-honors classes in the University Core Curriculum. Honors students also enjoy priority registration each semester.

Undergraduate Research

Many Honors students elect to participate in the undergraduate research track offered by the Honors College. Students may take courses to learn about research, develop their research projects, and write an Honors thesis, all under the guidance of a faculty mentor in their major. Students in the research track have opportunities to present their research at regional and national conferences, and may have their work published in the Honors College online journal of undergraduate research, The Eagle Feather, or other scholarly journals.

Special Programming and Housing

Honors members are invited to participate in many special programs sponsored by the college. These programs include opportunities to have lunch with a professor or dean, hear scholars discuss their work, take trips to local museums and enjoy free tickets to concerts and other cultural events. Honors students are also eligible to live in the new Honors Hall.

Honors College Membership and Participation

Honors College membership is open to every qualified student pursuing a baccalaureate degree at the University of North Texas, and membership is compatible with every undergraduate major and program. Honors is a flexible program that allows students to decide each semester on the combination of honors, non-honors and major classes that best suits their needs. Membership in the Honors College is secondary to membership in the college of the student's major, and students in the Honors College can choose from several levels of participation and recognition.

Eligibility for Membership

College Freshmen

To be eligible, freshman students should have a combined math and verbal SAT score of at least 1200 (ACT 27) and be in the top ranks of their high school graduating class, as evidenced by class standing and grade point average. A writing sample and a copy of all relevant transcripts should be submitted with the application. Students who are awarded the UNT Meritorious Scholarship or a Board of Regents Scholarship qualify automatically for admission, but must still submit the completed application. Students whose scores and class rank are slightly below these standards may still apply for membership by submitting a portfolio that showcases their readiness for honors work, such as a personal essay, a list of academic awards, writing samples and letters of recommendation.

Continuing UNT and Transfer Students

Continuing UNT students or students transferring to UNT from other institutions of higher learning are eligible to enroll in the Honors College on the basis of their GPA from already completed college work. A cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 qualifies continuing UNT and transfer students for membership in the Honors College, provided at least one full-time semester of college work has already been completed. The Honors College academic counselor can provide additional information for students with more than 60 credit hours who are interested in joining the Honors College.

Programs for Participation and Recognition in the Honors College

The Honors College offers both lower- and upper-division honors programs, including three levels of awards.

Lower Division Honors

The Honors Certificate

Students who want to maximize their participation in the Honors College in their first two years of undergraduate school may elect to pursue the Honors Certificate. This award, which is noted on the student's transcript, requires 15 honors credits (15 credit hours designated as honors), along with cumulative and honors GPAs of at least 3.0. Students who complete the requirements for the Honors Certificate and maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 are considered active members of the Honors College until graduation.

Upper Division Honors

The Honors Scholar

The Honors Scholar award requires at least 24 honors credits, including the honors capstone course or honors capstone thesis, and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. The accomplishment is noted on the student's transcript.

The Distinguished Honors Scholar

The highest recognition available to students through the Honors College is the Distinguished Honors Scholar award. This award requires that honors students earn at least 27 honors credits; complete an honors thesis or a research, creative, or performance project in their major discipline; and maintain a GPA of at least 3.5.

Honors Courses

Specific objectives have been adopted for honors courses, including the following.

1. Honors courses emphasize development of analytical and evaluative skills through readings from primary sources, journal articles and other supplementary materials.

2. Honors courses encourage students to engage in high-level thinking and learning through activities such as intensive discussion; writing in small, collaborative learning settings; and intensive research papers and projects.

3. Honors courses promote independent thinking by making students accountable for important aspects of their learning.

4. Honors courses place material in a conceptual context that illustrates its importance and relationship to other knowledge.

5. Honors courses provide enhanced opportunities for students to develop research skills and produce independent, original research or creative products as part of the course requirements.

6. Honors courses include innovative approaches to course content and teaching so that honors courses can serve as campuswide prototypes.

Honors classes at the 1000 and 2000 levels are reserved for members of the Honors College. Students who are not members of the Honors College but have junior status and a GPA of at least 3.5 may request enrollment in honors classes at the 3000 and 4000 levels if space is available after honors students register. The honors academic counselor can assist with enrollment.

National Student Exchange

Connie Fickenscher, Campus Coordinator

An undergraduate student at the University of North Texas may apply to spend a term/semester or a year on exchange at one of more than 175 colleges and universities that are members of the National Student Exchange, a consortium that provides for students within the United States and Canada what study abroad programs offer on an international scale. Through NSE a student can travel and live at another university site, take courses that are not offered at UNT, assess an out-of-state institution for future graduate study, and enjoy a part of the United States that is quite different from Texas.

UNT's membership in the National Student Exchange makes it possible for a UNT student to attend another NSE member institution at the same cost as attending UNT or at the in-state tuition rate of the other university. The student remains enrolled at UNT, with all the advantages of continuous enrollment. Through NSE coordinators on the two campuses, the tasks of advising, registering for classes and securing housing can be worked out to provide the student with a smooth exchange experience. UNT students may apply for financial aid on our campus for the term(s)/semester(s) they will be on exchange.

Students must be enrolled full time at UNT for two consecutive long terms/semesters prior to exchange including the term/semester in which they apply and must have a minimum cumulative UNT GPA of at least 2.5 at the time of application and when the exchange actually takes place. All aspects of the application process must be completed by February 15 prior to the academic year in which the student wishes to go on exchange. Since exchanges are limited, an exchange through NSE is a privilege for which the student must be selected.

Students who are interested in learning more about an exchange through NSE should contact the campus coordinator to learn the procedures of applying and qualifying. Interested students should stop by Chilton Hall, Room 211, to pick up a copy of the NSE Directory, which explains how the program works and provides detailed information about every institution that participates in NSE.

“University of North Texas,” “UNT” and “Discover the power of ideas” are officially registered trademarks of the University of North Texas; their use by others is legally restricted. If you have questions about using any of these marks, please contact the UNT Division of University Relations, Communications and Marketing at (940) 565-2108 or e-mail branding@unt.edu.